Al Yah Satellite Communications Company, Yahsat, the Abu Dhabi based satellite operator co-hosted an event last week with Thuraya Telecommunications Company, a leading Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) operator, at the United Arab Emirates Embassy in Washington D.C., which was attended by His Excellency Yousef Al Otaiba, the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the United States of America, as well as more than three hundred of the Space industry’s top executives.

The annual reception is a celebration of the UAE’s burgeoning satellite and space industry and brought together key industry decision makers for an evening of networking, conversation, and learning on the outskirts of the annual Satellite 2014 Conference, which took place from March 10th-13th.

Senior United States government and military officials, representatives from other nations, and senior executives from the satellite and aerospace industries including Airbus, Astrium Satellite, Boeing, Emirates Airlines, Etihad Airways, Lockheed Martin, Orbital Science, Space Systems/Loral (SSL) and more also attended the gala, including world-famous astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

“In a very short period of time, Yahsat was able to cement its position as one of the leading satellite operators in the world in addition to being the number one satellite broadband operator in Africa, all thanks to a strong network of partners, suppliers and customers,” said Masood M. Sharif Mahmood, Chief Executive Officer for Yahsat. “Our satellites, Y1A and Y1B, are on the cutting edge of technology. Yahsat is often considered to be the reference in the Middle East region when it comes to servicing government satellite communications. Similarly, we are able to service enterprise and end-users through our satellites. It is this type of commitment to the global community, be it in the Middle East region or the United States, which drives Yahsat to lead in the future generations of satellite technology,” he added.

Commenting on the annual reception, Samer Halawi, Chief Executive Officer at Thuraya, said, “The UAE has quietly developed itself as a centre for space and satellite excellence with three homegrown satellite operators, Dubai-sat, YahSat and Thuraya. We are grateful for the support and commitment of the UAE government to the UAE satellite industry. Thuraya has been driving innovation in the satellite world since our debut. Last year we launched the Thuraya SatSleeve, the first and only satellite adapter for smartphones. The device has won innovation awards for being a game-changer.”

Thuraya is an industry leading MSS operator and a global telecommunication provider offering innovative communications solutions to a variety of sectors including energy, broadcast media, maritime, military and humanitarian NGO. Thuraya’s superior network enables clear communications and uninterrupted coverage across two thirds of the globe by satellite and across the whole planet through its unique GSM roaming capabilities. Yahsat’s government operations arm, YahService, enjoyed a tremendous year by fulfilling the operational requirements of several high-level agreements in the United Arab Emirates, and successfully extending the service’s reach regionally and internationally, most notably through capacity agreements via YahService.

More importantly, our global reach helps drive the satellite industry in the UAE as a whole. In less than a decade, the UAE has become the region’s hub for satellite innovation.

In September 2012, Yahsat launched YahClick, offering broadband coverage over 28 countries with a total combined population of more than 1 billion people. YahClick is designed to provide satellite broadband Internet to a wide range of industries, including NGOs, government, educational organisations, media and broadcast, as well as home users. In 2013, Yahsat won the coveted SatCom Africa award for “Most Innovative Product and Service for Africa” for the second consecutive year for YahClick, as well as SAMENA’s ‘Best Satellite Services’ award for YahClick.